Walden, UA set to play in Denver

Love to serve as artistic director

NEW YORK — Walden Media has teamed with United Artists Theaters and television and stage producer Douglas Love to establish the Walden Family Playhouse, a live theater within a United Artists multiplex located in the Denver suburb of Lakewood.

Now under construction, the Playhouse will be the home of Love’s professional resident company creating theater for families. First production slate will be announced this summer, with a first play to open in January. Love will serve as artistic director.

“Our mission as a company is educational first and foremost,” Walden co-founder and CEO Cary Granat told Daily Variety. “Getting into theater is another move of ours to help build our brand in the marketplace.”

Walden Family Playhouse will supplement performances with fully integrated teacher curriculum guides, classes for children and a mentoring program for the students within the professional theater program.

Love is creator and executive producer of Disney Channel series “Out of the Box” and HBO Family toon series “Jammin’ Animals.” He wrote the stage adaptation of “Free to Be You and Me” and has penned more than 20 children’s books.

Projects in development at Anschutz-owned Walden Media include a live-action film version of C.S. Lewis’ series “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Production slate also includes two large-format projects: the 3D underwater exploration film “Ghosts of the Abyss,” from James Cameron, and “Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey.”